Rise Above It

Sometimes life leaves us with two choices...

Get caught in the mire...

Or rise above it.

I CHOOSE to rise above it.

I CHOOSE to rise above the gossip. Not simply for Biblical reasons - although we are certainly told many times over not to perpetrate gossip nor to be witnesses/idle participants. Not simply for "setting an example" for my son - although I certainly do not want my son picking up that horrid habit from prattling lips. Not simply for avoiding being a target - for everyone knows that the more you eschew gossip, the more you become the subject at hand.


I live in a tiny town in VERY rural America. There's 150 people here - and I, once again, am the subject of town gossip. We're the only Catholic family in our town. The only family with an only child. I'm not from here - so I'm an "outsider". I'm not planning on staying.

But recently a light appeared at the end of the tunnel. I will be leaving. It's not for a couple of years - but I WILL BE LEAVING.

And suddenly, with just that minor revelation I can rise above it just a bit easier because I KNOW that when I leave, they will have to find a new target. I know that where I am going I already have a dear friend whom I am happy to have in my life and who has already supported me through many trials with open arms, an open heart, and with an open coffee pot and an empty chair at her table.

I KNOW that I have dear friends here on the internet. They may not be right here - but they help me each and every single day to help hundreds of thousands of veterans across the country. I love them with all my heart even though we have never met.

I KNOW that in the end, it is I who will get in my car one last time, pull out of this driveway, and NEVER LOOK BACK.

Because...

I look forward. I look forward to the future and all the beautiful things that will transpire. I look forward to the beautiful things I know God has in store for me and my family. I look forward to all the immense blessings that are coming my way.

I rise above it...

...because I can.